444 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



[Whilst Mr. Adams was speaking, the Speaker resumed 

 the chair informally, to receive a message from the Presi- 

 dent of the United States, by the hands of J. K. Walker, 

 Esq., his private secretary, informing the House that the 

 President had yesterday approved and signed the joint reso- 

 lution of notice to Great Britain, to annul and abrogate the 

 convention of 1827 respecting the Oregon territory. 



Mr. Adams remarked : A propitious interruption of the 

 few remarks — worthless, in comparison — which I was ad- 

 dressing to the committee !] 



When Mr. Adams had concluded — 



Mr. Tibbatts rose to propose an ataendment, which, not 

 being at the moment in order, was not presented. 



Mr. A. Johnson expressed himself favorable to the adop- 

 tion of the substitute amendment of Mr. Adams ; but pro- 

 posed, if that substitute should be voted down, to amend 

 the first section as follow^s : 



Strike out all after the word " next," in the 11th line, to 

 the word " be," in the 14th line, and insert the following : 



" And actually paid into the Treasury of the United States by the States 

 •which have borrowed and used said fund." 



Mr. Johnson was satisfied (he said) that a large majority of 

 the House was opposed to taking this sum out of the Treasury, 

 for the purpose of establishing such an institution as was 

 contemplated by this bill. It was true that the money had 

 been received by the Government of the United States ; but 

 if the Government had been acting in good faith, and had 

 vested these funds in bonds of the States, and these States 

 had repudiated or refused to pa}', was there a man here, who 

 at this time would be willing to take this amount out of the 

 pockets of his constituents for the erection of an institution 

 of this kind ? Was this Government bound to levy a tax 

 upon the people for such a ])urpose ? If it had been acting 

 fairly as a trustee, if it had acted in good faith, and if this 

 fund had been lost and destroyed, and not intentionally per- 

 verted or misapplied, it was no more responsible than any 

 other trustee under such circumstances would be. 



Some conversation took place between Mr. Johnson and 

 Mr. Sims of South Carolina, as to the legal liability of trus- 

 tees in certain cases. 



Mr. Johnson insisted that there was neither authority for, 

 nor justice in, taking this sum of monej^ from the pockets of 

 the people for the establishment of this institution, and he 

 contended that no substantial good could result to the mass 

 of the people, and that an annual appropriation would be 



